Process of burning liquid fuel.



G. E. GLAPP.

PROCESS OF BURNING LIQUID FUEL.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 14, 1910.

1,020,266. Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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Witnesses F1 COLUMBIA PLANQGRAFM CU-IWASIIINGTON D C GEORGE E. CLAPIP,0F KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

PROCESS OF BURNING LIQUID FUEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Application filed. November 14, 1910. Serial No. 592,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. GLAPP, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Kalamazoo, county of Kalamazoo, State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processesof Burning Liquid Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method or process of burning crude oil orother l1qu1d hydrocarbon fuel.

The objects of the inventlon are to provide an improved process ofconverting crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbon mto gas, and further,to thus convert and burn simultaneously.

I accomplish the objects of my inventlon by the devices and meansdescribed 1n the following specification.

I carry out my improved method or process by means of the apparatuslllustrated 1n the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a perspective view of a crude oil burner in place in a cookstove or range, partially shown. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsectional elevation through the same structure, taken on a linecorresponding to line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan viewtaken on a line corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing thegenerator cup and surrounding air passage. Fig. 1 is a detail view ofthe generator cup.

In the drawing, the sectional viewsare taken looking in the direction ofthe little arrows at the ends of the section lines, and similar numeralsof reference refer to similar parts throughout the several view s.

This apparatus is that appearing 1n my concurrent application for patentSer. No. 571,880.

So that my improved process and method will be completely understood, Iwill describe the apparatus and the method of its operation. Of coursemy improved process or method can be carried out by any suitableapparatus by which the same results, so far as the method or process isconcerned, can be obtained.

Considering the numbered parts of the drawing, I have shown the stoveonly partially, the same being a portion of an ordinary cooking stove,the top 1 and the bottom 2 being illustrated diagrammatically. Beneathone of the lids I arrange my generator chamber 3, which is provided witha panlike base extension 1 communicating with the said generator chamberby the opening A ring 0 takes the place of the lid of the stove, andwithin this ring is supported a second ring 7 having a downwardlyprojecting flange S which telescopes over the topof the generator shell3. A curved top plate 9 is provided therefor to completely close thistop opening except for the tubular air intake 12. A plate 10 with acentral opening is provided for the generator 3, having adownwardly-projecting, centrallyarranged, tubular flange 11, and anupwardly-projecting tubular air intake 12 for the air supply,corresponding to and amounting to an extension upwardly of the flange11.. On the top 10 are formed ways 13 in which are damper slides 14 and15 notched at the centers to form an aperture 16. These are controlledby a lever 17, which is pivotally connected at 19 to the slide 15. Alink 20 is pivoted to the lever 17 at 21 and connects by pivot 22 to theopposite slide 1 1 of the damper, so that-0n manipulation of the lever17 the dampers open and close to and from the center, as is very clearfrom an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. The details of this mechanism arefully described and illustrated in my concurrent application Ser. No.571,880, for patent for oil burners, filed July 14, 1910.

In the generator chamber 3 is a cup 23 of a comparatively large mass ofcast lIOIl, preferably having a shallow depression 24: formed in the topthereof and having sloping sides 23 so that the body of this cup isconical in form and of solid metal. This cup 23 is supported in place byradial 0r spider arms 25, which rest upon ledges or lugs'26 projectinginwardly in the generator chamber 3. A slight depression 1 for receivingthe oil for starting the fire is beneath the cup 23. Because the cup issupported by the spider arms 25 on the lugs 26, an annular air space 27surrounds the same, down through which the air for supporting combustionis delivered. A fuel tank28 supplies fuel to the burner through a pipe29, which terminates in a feed device 31, which is supported on thebracket 32, secured to the air conduit or intake 12. A globe valve 30 isin the pipe 29 as extra precaution to comply with the requirements offire underwriters. This feed device consists of a chamber 33 which isperforated at its end at 36t, in which is arranged the vertical conicalspigot 35, which is tubular in form, having a vertical aperture 36therethrough open at top and bottom. A lateral aperture 37 leads throughthe side of this spigot to the central aperture 36, and is adapted toregister with the aperture 34 of the chamber for controlling andregulating the delivery of fuel to the burner. A lead wire 39 is securedto the spigot and extends down through the hollow of the same,terminating in a sharp point, as 40. This wire is slightly offset orbent to one side at 41, opposite the aperture 37 A handle 38 is providedfor controlling the feed device by adjusting the spigot 35 and therebyregulating the size of the feed aperture.

I have thus described in detail the various parts of my improvedstructure. I will now indicate the operation of my device and describethe process by which I am able to effectively burn crude petroleum, orany liquid hydrocarbon which is at all volatile or capable ofgasification.

In the operation of my improved device, fuel is placed in the tank 28and is delivered through the pipe 29 into the chamber 33, which iscomparatively large and is delivered to the small aperture 34, which iscontrolled by the spigot 35, which is tubular, having a vertical opening36 there through. A small transverse opening 37 in the spigot cooperateswith the hole 34. Oil is delivered freely down through the tubularspigot along the leading wire 39 and drizzles ofl in a fine stream or ina series of very small drops at the point 40. It drops down into thedepression 24 in the generator cup 23 and drizzles over into thedepression 4 in the pan 4, and, when the fire is lighted, it immediatelyheats up the mass of metal constituting the cup 23. As soon as thismetal is heated, air is drawn down through the intake passage 12 anddelivers onto the oil contained in the cup and mixes with the vapor andgas and proceeds to burn. The heavy body of the cup 23 thus becomesquite highly heated so that the oil that drops onto the depression 24 inthe top thereof assumes a spheroidal form and has the appearance ofmolten lead or metal in a ladle. It is evaporated and gasifled by theheated body of the cup 23 and passes as vapor and gas from the cupwithout any overflow, when it is mixed with the air that is delivereddownwardly into this mixing chamber.

The amount of air and the amount of fuel has to be very carefullyregulated, and, when the supply of fuel is cut down, it is necessaryalso to cut down the supply of air by regulating the damper by means ofthe lever 17. When the volume of fuel is increased, it is necessary toopen the damper.

So nice is this adjustment necessary that, if

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the volume of oil is too large for the amount of air, the fuel will burnwith a smoky flame and an unsatisfactory result will be obtained, andeventually the fire will go out. On the other hand, if the damper isopened too wide for the amount of fuel, the flame soon burns the fueland becomes so low that the gas is not generated and the flame flashesout. Further, it is necessary that the fuel be delivered in a constantsmall stream. If, in the apparatus here illustrated, which issubstantially drawn to scale, the wire 39 is removed and the oil allowedto drip from the largeraperture of the spigot, the size of the dropswill be so large and the interval between the same will be so great thatthe fire will practically go out between times. It is necessary to insure success that a constant quantity of the oil be delivered, and, whenthis is done and the right amount of air for supporting combustion forthis volume is delivered, the heavy body 23 of the cup will becomeheated and enough heat will be stored to immediately vaporize and gasifythe oil that may be needed to properly maintain combustion. I havedescribed a small stream which is exactly what occurs with crude oil.The stream consists of very fine drops when lighter, less viscid oil, askerosene, is used. A depression in this cup should be rounded at thebottom and be of such depth as to retain the fuel in the spheroidalform, but should not be deeper than is required to hold the properamount of fuel.

By my method, a quantity of the liquid hydrocarbon or crude oil isdelivered continuously and in a fine stream to a heated cup orreceptacle, which is of such mass and temperature as to immediatelythrow the fuel into the spheroidal form. This enables the temperature ofthe cup to be kept at such a high degree that as soon as the temperatureof the fuel drops sufliciently so that the fuel will contact with thecup, a quantity of gas is at once gener- This gas is burned immediatelyand reacts upon this receptacle to maintain a suflicient temperature bystoring the heat to insure this spheroidal condition. If the cup isfilled too full, a very violent boiling occurs, which immediatelyreduces the quantity to the required point to properly maintain theequilibrium of the device. 'It will be remembered that the volatile fuelhas a very pronounced cooling effect, if it contacts with the metal. Itis this complete control and the holding the bulk in the spheroidalcondition that enables the rapid and complete conversion of smallquantities into gas immediately, which secures the valuable resultswhich I obtain. If the whole volume of the fuel were heated, thetemperature would drop too low for the conversion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of vaporizing crude oil or similar fuels, which consistsin supplying fuel in the form of a thin, substantially continuous streamupon a suitable receiving surface and maintaining at this surface atemperature sufficient to cause the liquid fuel to assume and maintain aspheroidal state.

2. The method of vaporizing crude oil or similar fuels, which consistsin supplying fuel in the form of a thin, substantially continuous streaminto a suitable shallow receiving receptacle and maintaining at thesurface thereof a temperature sutlicient to cause the liquid fuel toassume and maintain a spheroidal state.

witnesses.

GEORGE E. CLAPP. [1 s.]

\Vitnesses L. G. GunnNFIuLD, M. L. GLASGOW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

